Features wanted in a Wiim Ultra 2

[AlanB]

As far as I’m aware WiiM is still the only company to support Amazon Music bit perfect up to 24/192 via Alexa and casting from the Amazon Music app and the reason I first bought my WiiM Mini.



Sort of similar situation with me - the Amazon Music Unlimited family plan offers me hi res music and the rest of the family access on their echos or in the car, at an extremely low cost for around £3 per head per month.



Well, way back when I was buying a deck I was persuaded by my local hifi shop to get a Dunlop Systemdek instead of an LP12 because of the supposed difficulty keeping the latter optimally set up. Maybe if I had known better back then…

But years on, I do have a Linn MDSM/4 fronting my WiiM Ultra, feeding Linn M109 bookshelf speakers. And their factory is barely 15 minutes away from where I stay…

Same with me, except Amazon Music Unlimited Family Plan didn't cost me anything because my eldest son had it for him and his children, so added me to the plan.

 

[Bill Mac]

Would like to see a second USB port added. Then one can connect an external USB hard drive and a USB output without the need for a USB hub. An HDMI output would be a great feature so one can play multichannel files. A bigger display would be nice which would of course mean a physically larger case.

 

[Kirpus]

I like my Wiim Ultra but would love to see the following in an updated version:
- A DAC chip one step up, like in the Amp Ultra
- XLR balanced out
- 4 or 5 inch screen
- Better pop and noise reduction via HDMI and Optical In
- No need for Phono In or Headphone Out
- All the other I/O ports can stay the same

This would be my dream DAC/media streamer and preamp.

What would you like in an altered version 2?

CDs are back baby!
I stream CDs to different high end speakers around the house from my WU. I would like WU to be able to identify my CDs through optical in and show data on the screen, in the app and be able to share play stats with Last.fm eg.

 

[EddNog]

CDs are back baby!
I stream CDs to different high end speakers around the house from my WU. I would like WU to be able to identify my CDs through optical in and show data on the screen, in the app and be able to share play stats with Last.fm eg.

That’s not possible; optical connections can only carry audio signals. They’re not like USB connections which can carry all sorts of data.

-Ed

 

[Sake]

Probably keep the Ultra as it is now, with some additional upgrades as asked in this thread, but reasonable basic to keep more or less the price point as it is now. If marketing wise room for a step up, coming at a higher price point, i will be glad to pay for that. I think the Ultra right now is versatility enough for most users ( the average user that is not present at this forum? )
But hey, WIIM works hard to keep their brand attractive and, more important: they got sympathy from the community. Thats hard work that will pay of.

Maybe a luxury version of the Ultra, price point approx $500,00 ?

 

[Musician]

As a wrote somewhere else, I would like the ability to select different crossover slopes for the main speakers/subwoofer and a dual stereo sub out .
Instead of only offering 24 db/ Linkwitz Riley lowpass and high pass it would be very nice to have the ability to select 12dB (main speakers ) and 24dB ( subwoofers) - a so called ”THX” crossover which is perfect when using closed boxed main speakers.

I would also like the ability to combine odd order crossovers, like 18dB ( for the main speakers ) and 30dB ( subwoofers ) because this solution often sounds best because of better power response in the room.

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

What some are suggesting is a strict streamer - no preamp, no screen, no DAC, with upgraded parts, especially power supply. Priced around $500 would sell like pancakes.

It's completely unnecessary.

The WiiM Mini is just such a device, albeit with it's own, by-passable, cheap DAC. It's optical output is absolutely transparent to the source.




The very best SOTA DAC costing you more than a car won't do better than that. No need for upgraded power supply or anything.

Save yourself $410.

 

[EddNog]

It's completely unnecessary.

The WiiM Mini is just such a device, albeit with it's own, by-passable, cheap DAC. It's optical output is absolutely transparent to the source.

View attachment 24455


The very best SOTA DAC costing you more than a car won't do better than that. No need for upgraded power supply or anything.

Save yourself $410.

I wouldn't dispute you for listeners just looking to stream from the big services, but if you want that ARC input and/or WiiM RoomFit correction (which, unless I'm mistaken, isn't available on the Mini, right?), options start getting slim. The Eversolo T8 pure transport should offer Eversolo's proprietary EDRC and they have ARC input. Plus they have native Apple Music support.

So the question then becomes: how much will Zidoo/Eversolo charge for the T8?

-Ed

 

[hgo58]

It's completely unnecessary.

The WiiM Mini is just such a device, albeit with it's own, by-passable, cheap DAC. It's optical output is absolutely transparent to the source.

The very best SOTA DAC costing you more than a car won't do better than that. No need for upgraded power supply or anything.

Save yourself $410.

The WiiM Mini do however lack computer power, so it can't handle advance EQ and many more services. This is what you would want from an updated streamer.

 

[Wiimer]

You may be surprised to learn that the Mini also has RoomFit.

 

[Burnside]

The mini does have 10 band peq and room correction like its siblings.

 

[hgo58]

You may be surprised to learn that the Mini also has RoomFit.

RoomFit don't run on the device. It just updates the EQ settings based on external calculations.

 

[Burnside]

RoomFit don't run on the device. It just updates the EQ settings based on external calculations.

Like all the other WiiM devices do too. I haven’t checked all the options but I don’t think there’s much, if any, difference on the Mini compared to the other WiiMs when talking peq/roomfit.

 

[Smartplug]

As a wrote somewhere else, I would like the ability to select different crossover slopes for the main speakers/subwoofer and a dual stereo sub out .
Instead of only offering 24 db/ Linkwitz Riley lowpass and high pass it would be very nice to have the ability to select 12dB (main speakers ) and 24dB ( subwoofers) - a so called ”THX” crossover which is perfect when using closed boxed main speakers.

I would also like the ability to combine odd order crossovers, like 18dB ( for the main speakers ) and 30dB ( subwoofers ) because this solution often sounds best because of better power response in the room.

That’s the features I like to see on ultra ability to change slope similar to mini dsp. Whether this can done via firmware update or if its hardware changes.

 

[Wiimer]

Like all the other WiiM devices do too. I haven’t checked all the options but I don’t think there’s much, if any, difference on the Mini compared to the other WiiMs when talking peq/roomfit.

Yeah, it all looks the same.
And the Mini is indispensable to me because I can move it anywhere quickly.
It can also be RoomFit in a back pocket

Still a god machine.

 

[hgo58]

Like all the other WiiM devices do too. I haven’t checked all the options but I don’t think there’s much, if any, difference on the Mini compared to the other WiiMs when talking peq/roomfit.

My point was you don't need more computer power for RoomFit calculations. You will need it for more EQ filters and separate RoomFit EQ.

You will also need more CPU processing to handle things like spectrum analyzer (requested by some), multichannel sound and full resolution (24/192) LinkPlay.

 

[EddNog]

That’s the features I like to see on ultra ability to change slope similar to mini dsp. Whether this can done via firmware update or if its hardware changes.

Yup; honestly, just uh...borrow...a few features from a miniDSP. That would be great.

-Ed

 

[TonyE]

So many features... how about fixing the problems first?

(1) Fix the Tidal Connect disconnect when running from a PC... where the device is lost and you have to go into the Home program to toggle the "Preferred DNS settings" to make the PC connect to the Ultra? This also orphans the Tidal Connect in the Ultra from the PC, it becomes ugly to reconnect.

(2) Make the WiiM program's look and feel the same from PCs to Android-Chromebook? Right now they are so different that they look like they were designed by different people using different vocabularies.

Fix those issues first.

 

[castalla]

So many features... how about fixing the problems first?

(1) Fix the Tidal Connect disconnect when running from a PC... where the device is lost and you have to go into the Home program to toggle the "Preferred DNS settings" to make the PC connect to the Ultra? This also orphans the Tidal Connect in the Ultra from the PC, it becomes ugly to reconnect.

(2) Make the WiiM program's look and feel the same from PCs to Android-Chromebook? Right now they are so different that they look like they were designed by different people using different vocabularies.

Fix those issues first.

2) Probably were. Not a high priority. Like saying why isn't a Volvo the same as a Fiat ?

 

[TonyE]

2) Probably were. Not a high priority. Like saying why isn't a Volvo the same as a Fiat ?

Hmmm they both control the WiiM Ultra... and they both are called WiiM Home programs.

It should be a high priority as this is after all a streamer... and it requires some front end control software.